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Alastean Humans
The Vaen share the Alastean Islands with a small group of humans. They aren’t native to the islands and wouldn’t be there save for the fact that the two groups were fleeing from the Darkriders at the same time and the Vaen, fearing for the safety of their human friends, gave them on ships and sent them towards Alastea. Three ships of humans, their belongings, and livestock followed the Vaen ships to Alastea. The Vaen living there at the time welcomed their fellows with open arms, but greeted the humans with suspicion and distrust. It was only the Vaen returning from the mainland vouching for them that convinced the island Vaen to allow them to stay. They ceded the southernmost island of Xuwenn to the humans as no Vaen really wanted to live there. It was given to them to use as they please, provided that they obeyed the ancient laws handed down by Morshann and observed the Festivals. To this day, Alastean humans dwell mostly on Xuwenn with small populations on Jan’esha and An’taha. There are no human settlements on Rojekma and Dulanenn, though there are groups of them living there. Biology Humans are incompatible with Vaen biology. Romance between the two species isn’t unheard of and is largely encouraged as these couples provide a useful function. Children are often left parentless by wyvern attacks, storms, work fatalities, birthing problems that kill the mother, and untimely death due to illness. Murder and suicide play some part in this, yet it’s not as common. Vaen-human couples tend to adopt these parentless ones since they clearly cannot have their own children. These homes have at least one adopted child and often at least one of each species. Culture Unlike the mainland humans, these ones have kept to the Old Ways as the disasters that forced the mainlanders away from their belief in the Deities didn’t impact those in Alastea. They have a patriarchy of sorts. The father is the head of the household and he earns a living to support the family. Women are allowed to earn money, but they more commonly stay at home and tend to it and the children. Most of the money women make is from selling handicrafts and produce as these things give them both something to do and a little money with which to buy things for themselves. Influenced by the Vaen, all children, regardless of gender, are educated from the age of seven up until their seventeenth year. Further education is optional, but those ten years are mandatory. As in any society, there are individuals who break from the norm. There have been women who have been the sole provider in the family for one reason or another or who have decided that domestic life isn’t for them and set out to find their place in life. Many of these women wind up as shrine maidens, priestesses, roaming musicians, itinerant artists, archers in town militias, horse trainers, and sometimes even as dragonriders. The cautionary tale told to children is to not crave excitement and adventure on the open road as young men and women who deviate from traditional life often fall prey to the wyvern roaming Alastea. They fall for the seductive lies the wyvern whisper to them and wind up as Darkriders, forever enslaved to Atraxia and her children. Men aren’t as susceptible to this as women, but it still happens. Clothing Human clothing isn’t too different from that typically worn by mainlanders. Trousers, boots, skirts, hats, scarves, layered skirts, dresses, tunics, and slippers are quite common. Some like to mimic Vaen clothing, even though it’s discouraged. They dye their clothing any color they please, inventing new ones by mixing dyes, sometimes creating colors you wouldn’t find in nature. Diet The omnivorous humans couldn’t possibly be more different from the vegetarian Vaen. They celebrate the Festival of Tem’leyshu with a zeal that often distresses their neighbors. The enthusiasm is tolerated, though, as the Vaen don’t celebrate the hunt aspect of the Festival. This ensures that Tem’leyshu is properly honored. Due to the nature of their diet, the humans often produce more leather than they can use, so they sell the excess to the Vaen for various uses. A lot of Vaen dislike leather due to its origin, but it makes a superior saddle. They dislike drinking water, choosing instead to drink milk, beer, wine, or unfermented fruit juice, though mostly children drink that.